Paul Haeder has been a journalist since he was 17. He writes a column for Street Roots called Finding Fringe. Haeder crisscrossed Latin America, Europe and Vietnam. He eventually landed in the Pacific Northwest, now residing on Oregon's Central Coast. He is a social worker for veterans, foster youths, adults with developmental disabilities and those in homeless circumstances, and others battling addiction and recently released from prison. Haeder is a prolific writer of poetry, short fiction, memoir and environmental polemics. He is also the site director in Lincoln and Jefferson counties for an anti-poverty initiative through Family Independence Initiative. His latest book, "Wide Open Eyes: Surfacing from Vietnam," is a collection of intertwined short fiction based on his own work in Vietnam 25 years ago.